Revealed! Hartlepool United fans to dress up as Stormtroopers for Plymouth Argyle match

Richard Mennear

Hartlepool United fans are set to take Plymouth Argyle by Storm - after the annual fancy dress theme was announced.

Stormtroopers - from the hit film Star Wars - is the theme to end the 2015-16 campaign, with Pools making the long trip to the south coast on Saturday, May 7.

Hartlepool United fans

It has long been a tradition for Pools fans to dress up in unison on the last away day of the campaign – and this year’s long trip to Home Park looks set to be one of the most spectacular yet - with fans urged to 'use the force'.

In previous years fans have attended games dressed as Smurfs, Oompa Loompas, Penguins and Where’s Wally with hundreds of fans enjoying a Bob Marley-themed reggae party in last season's end of season finale at Carlisle United.

Organiser John Pearson explained this year's choice.

"Two years ago we sent the Thunderbirds to offer Colin Cooper’s squad International Rescue at Plymouth.

Craig Hignett and Curtis Fleming

"This year, with Plymouth potentially going for automatic promotion, it’s felt we need to send a stronger ‘force’ to match up to their Green Army!

"Stormtroopers have come close to making an appearance in the past but it’s topical at the moment and we feel like now is their time," he told the club's website.

Fancy-dressed Pools fans have become part and parcel of the last day of Football League action every year.

Back in 2012, a photograph of an army of Pools fans dressed as Smurfs on the London Underground went viral ahead oft he game against Charlton Athletic.

And John is confident this year's theme will go down a Storm.

He added: "We will have our usual 120-odd making the journey and the ages range from 12 to 70.

"The younger fans particularly enjoy it which is what it’s all about really – hopefully it can add to the atmosphere at the game again, just as it has done in years gone by.

"After the success of last year’s Reggae theme at Carlisle and the atmosphere it helped create, I’m sure some of the older Troopers may well forget themselves and default to Super Troopers so maybe there’ll be a few Abba renditions!

"At the end of the day, the aim is to bring a bit of light-hearted fun to the end of a season and to spend a week with some exiled fans who we won’t see again until the start of next season."